Hi!!!!!
So this week was super awesome! It is amazing how different the days and weeks can be since I stay within 35 acres. Anyway we had a pump up meeting about finding people to teach because apparently we were not doing a good job. So this week Sister Belleza and I went in with the mindset that we were going to find MANY people. Starting with day 1 of the week we were being blessed with people! Good people too. We don't know what it is but we find a lot of people in the UK. Yes, Drew, believe it or not. We found a kid named Jem and he is so good... confused... but good. We called him and he was so hung up on how people with infirmities couldn't be a priest in Old Testament times or that parents could stone disobedient children. We tried our best to explain things but honestly I think I learned more talking to him than he did. I had never thought about those issues before but I guess that is because we understand a lot more too. But he has SO many questions it's hard to determine where to start. Other people that we are talking to have a desire to change their lives around but they have serious issues that can prevent them from progressing. It has really hit me this week that I don't know how to help these people. I don't know what it is like to help people stop smoking, stop living with their girlfriend, deal with atheist parents, or wonder why God hates everyone. I don't know how!! But that is when I was comforted by the fact that I know the things that can help these people change their lives. I just have to give them the basics and they do the rest. That was such a relief off my shoulders. Still working on it, of course, but it is nice to know that I just speak and let the words just come out. Many times I will think I don't know what to say but I know that I just need to start talking and then the spirit will take over.
Anyway GUESS WHAT?!?! They had a big announcement Sunday morning that we were going, as a mission, to BYU!!!! We were there Monday morning to look at the James Tissot and Carl Bloch paintings of Jesus Christ! I was so excited but scared that it would feel super weird to go back to Provo. But I guess I should have known better. I mean, hello, I am in Salt Lake City for my mission. It didn't feel weird at all. I saw some people I knew but it wasn't any big deal. I was hoping to see Kyle too but I should have figured that Kyle wouldn't hang out at the Museum of Art before it even opened. But it was amazing! They had original paintings for both artists. I have a view on Carl Bloch's paintings because I really tried to see what I could get out of them. It was an interesting comparison to James Tissot's paintings that were filled with so much detail. (I think he spent 200/350 of his paintings on the beating, trial and crucifixion of Christ - I felt sick after because the spirit wasn't with Tissot's paintings.) Anyway interesting thought but when we got back to Temple Square we listened to the Christus narration and at the part where the reader says, "Behold the wounds that pierced my side..." My companion and I cringed because we just got a good dosage of visuals on that same event.
Ok, miracles for the week! So not only do we JUST talk with people from the UK though it feels like it, but also with truck drivers as well. I feel so bad for them because they usually don't have a permanent address, but the ones I have met want missionaries. So we took two truck drivers around. Their story was interesting; one of them had a degree in computer something (it sounded smart) but he couldn't get a job anywhere so he is now a truck driver. Is the economy really that bad?! Sorry I'm living in a bubble. But we showed them around and the other one referred for missionaries. We will teach him but we don't know how he can progress, and if he can't we will have to drop him. The next miracle involved a group that walked in the South Visitors Center. We both felt like we needed to talk to them but where we were situated and where they were going it would have been awkward to talk to them. So we circled the building to catch them in the front but they had vanished. We searched all over Temple Square and finally found them at the Christus statue. There was this lady who came up to us and said how peaceful it was here. We played the Christus narration for them. One guy came up to us who was a member and asked for a Book of Mormon to give to them. I was thinking, "Dude, back off! Our turf!" But then I realized he was asking for our help. So I felt bad. Hey! Usually members tell us what to do! Anyway so we said that we would take care of everything. We looked back at the lady and she was crying. Then she stood up and started hugging everyone. We recognized the window of opportunity and slipped in telling her that we could send missionaries to her home if she wanted to fill out the guest card. She practically grabbed it from us and filled it out! Oh funny story; really weird; glad I don't have to deal with this. A man called in for a Finding Faith in Christ DVD. I was talking with him about his life and such and then he said, "Can I tell you something? I can't tell anyone else because they'll think I am crazy." Oh no, not a good line. I braced myself. He continued, "My house is full of demons! Seriously things move all the time and I feel people all around me. It is a horrible feeling and I can't make them leave! Do you know anyone who could come bless my house to make them go away?" He lives in New Orleans (Anyone see Princess and the Frog?) Yeah, sad story though I couldn't send missionaries to his home because missionaries don't exist there. But I gave him the Bishop's number to the ward closest to him and suggested he call. I phoned him back today to ask how life was going (he agreed that I can teach him) and he said the Missionaries came by after he called the Bishop but they left to go get someone with a "higher authority". Wow. His house must be bad. But they told him they can't come back until his house is clean. He really is prepared though. We taught him how to pray and committed him to pray at night with his family so he could be protected.
Anyway gotta go, until next week! Ahhh Thanksgiving! So excited!
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